Alfred b



Dec. 22,1925, l a. 1,566,645-

A. B. BREEZE TUBE EXPANDING AND COMPRESSING TOOL File@ Dec.- 26, 1922MINIMUM NNIIIIHIIIHMH Patented Deaf 22', 1 92'5.

UNITED 4STATES ALFRED lPA'rlaz'NT ,oF-FICE..

n.` BREEZE, or c1NoINNArronIo, 'AssIeNon To THE -cINcINNArI BALL CRANKCOMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO,v A CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

l TUBE EXPANDING AND COMPRESSING TOOL.

Application led December 26, 1922. Serial No. 68,827.

To all wwm t mayjconcem:

Be it known that I, ,Amann B. BREEZE, a citizen of theUnited States, andresidingat Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Olo, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Tube Expanding and CompressingTools, of which the following specification is afull disclosure.

This invention relates to dies and tools for enlarging andlongitudinally compressing for increasing the metal thickness orupsetting the end of a tube to provide a length of tubing with anintegral hub end. Tube lengths of this character are extensive- 1y usedfor automobile steering reach rods or drag links as connecting rodswithgthe hub end or ends containing a bearing. A type of such productcomprises the invention shown and described in Letters Patent No,

1,272,033, to Clifford Greene, dated July 9, 1918, for steering reachrod. y

The exempliication of the present invention will be generally confinedherein to sucha product, although constituting but one of the variousmechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.The dies and tools are used in connection with the process or method otenlarging or upsetting the end of a tube as made the subject-matter ofthe invention shown and det scribed in the application for LettersvPatent, Serial No. 476,340, to myself, liled July 9, 1921, in which thetube is preliminarily enlargedand lon itudinally compressed 'free fromthe externa die connement, and to its final andfvnished form in a die.

It is desirable to form drag links,reach rods, tonguearms, radius rods,and similar members of the motor vehicle construction,

of metal ltubing, and it is also desirablethat the enlarged'endsrequired for containing a bearing and attaching the rod, be of aformation which will furnish the required metal thickness for threading,possess' great strength andy durability, and provide a socket and seatfor the movable bearingelements. l y,

In this capacity, the l invention -'may be practised Vfor forming thesockets only, comprisin 'a stub .portion of the normal diameter o Athetubing and a socket portion of greatenz-vcro'ssj sectional area than thestub portion. The stub portion may either be engaged overthe end of alink length of tubing, or weldedto the end of the link length, methodswell known vin the manufacture of reach rods or similar members of themotor vehicle construction.

The essential characteristics of the product as formed by my improveddiesl and tools are a great strength and durability, particularly at thejunctionconnccting the two diameters, a wall thickness toV allow forinternal and external threadingl at the outer end lof thelargero'diameter, so that the .shell is not substantially weakened bythe threading, a cylindrical surface on the inside-of l lThe dies andtools provide for the rapidv and economical production of a socket,possessing the characteristics enumerated and the invention hereinparticularly relates to the tools and dies employed in the process offorming the socket, preferably for the nal or inishing step. The tool isshaped to prevent freezing or wedgingwithin the article tobe upset,which would vprevent the withdrawal of the'tool.

To aid in clear and comprehensive understanding of the invention, Ishall describe the ,same in connect-ion with the lprocess of making asocket, forming part of a drag link, as itis incorporated inathesteering mechanism of motor vehicle constructions, and, as illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in whichz- Figure 1 is a detail viewillustrating the parting side of one ofthe die sections or halves,having a plurality of die chambers, and expanding, compressing andupsetting mandrcls or tools, each tool shown in its`cooperative positionwithitsrelated die and performance upon the tubing, which tubing isillustrated in section.

This in a single View shows the several steps of the operation forobtaining a denitely shaped tube product, contemplating a showing, ofthe different stages rather than the simultaneous operation upon anumber .of pieces of tubing.1 v

following in successive order which is necessary to bring it to itsfinished form.

In this instance the normal metal thickness of the tubing is sufiicientfor obtaining the desired. metal thickness of the socket or enlarged endportion without longitudinally compressing the tube while expanding.

` Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure 1, but showing a smaller numberof tools, in which the tube is expanded and longitudinally compressedfor the purpose of increasing the metal 'thickness of the expandedportion.'

Figure 3 is a reduced end View of the separable dies shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4:' is a similar View of the dies shown in Fig. 2.

The dies are of sectional form and combined as a unit and arranged inconsecutive order so that the tube can be lconveniently advanced fromone die to a second in quick succession from the first to the'last stageof forming, requiring only a single heating of the tube.

. In Figure 1, for the first step, the end of the tube 1 is expandedfree from external diev confinement Vby the expanding tool 2. The tubeof the required size and length is preliminarily heated to the requireddegree, and held Abetween the gripping dies 3--3, with end 1, to be'enlarged, extending beyond the gripping dies, and the opposite end ofthe tube maybear against an abutment (not shown) to prevent longitudinalmovement of the tube within the dies while the tool is being forced intoits end. The tool 2, for the first step, consists of a shank portion 4of appropriate diameter, a conical head ortion 5, andl a tapering toolcentering end) 6, of a diameter which will telescope into the normaldiameter of the tube without producing a tube expansion. For the secondstep, the tube is gripped between the gripping dies and the expanded endportion 1, engaged between the forming dies'7, 7, and an expanding tool8, forced into the end portion 1, the tool 8 corresponding to thetool 2,except that the shank and head portions are of different or increaseddimension. For the final forming operation, the tube is disposed betweenthe gripping dies andv appropriate shape-forming dies 9 9, after-which atool 10, to which the present invention is directed, is forced into theend of the socket 1. v

The tool consists of a shank portion 11, -a head portion 12, and av tipor tool center or end portion 13. The shank portion is of slightly lessdiameter than the full internal diameter the socket is to possess forits finished dimension, thus offering a clearance space 14 ybetween theperiphery of the shank and the 'internal' surface of the socket, whichallows for-the escape of gases, and avoids a bindingk of the parts whichwould interfere with the withdrawal of the tool. The head portion 12 isof larger diameter'than the shank portion and of a diameter to producethe maximum expansion of the socket. rIhe rear end of the head providesa shoulder 15, furnishing a circumferential edge, which serves to sklvethe internal surface of the socket with the return or withdrawal strokeof the tool. The forward end of the head 12 is .squared and rounded atits outer edge to form a shoulder 15a adapted to press the metal againsta corresponding shoulder 16 of the die, to appropriately shoulder the4interior of the socket at the juncture of the two diameters of thetube, as the tool is forced inwardly. The tip "or centering end ofthetool is Vtapered to telescope into the normal internal diameter of thetube and assist in properly shapingthe tube at the juncture of the twodiameters and not interfere with the withdrawal of the tool. The head ofthe tool, as it is forced into the tube, expands, draws and compressesor forges the metal to completely fill the die, crimping and expandingthe conical portion of the tube, formed by the tool in a precedlngstep-forging of the same against the shouldered portion 16 of the die.The head, as it is withdrawn on the return stroke, again functions upci;the tubing, due to the relative contract-ion of the tube and theexpansion of the head, the temperature of the tube .constantlydecreasing while the tool absorb- 111g the heat expands, so that itsrear shoulyde r edge skives the surface of the tube, and,

being. of comparatively reduced longitudinal dlmension, can be forcedinto the tube for quite a considerable length and withdrawn in a reversedirection of motion without freezing or becoming bound within the itube,and can be worked without lubricaion. The head, in reverse strokesmooths the tube and renders it truly cylindrical, features highlydesirable when the socket is to contain a slidably movable bearing. i

Under the method shown in Figure 2, the tube end is expanded andcompressed longitudinally by a tool 17, which is provided with a hammerI portion 18, which strikes against the end of the tube as the tool isforced into the tube. After the tube has been initially shaped, asshown, it is subjected within adie to the action ofa finish- `ing tool10 corresponding in construction substantially as heretofore described.The Y head 12 and tip 13 of the tool l0 maybe removably secured upon theend of the shank portion for purposes of renewal or interchange.

I-Iaving describedmy invention, I claim: In a device of the characterdescribed, comprising a separable die, and a forming of the tool,

tool adapted to be thrust into the end of a tube dis osed within thedie, said tool havin a cy indrical shank portion and a cylindrlcal headportionof greater diameter than the shank ortion for expandingandformvli ing the tu and a `tapering tip extending from the forward end ofthe head portion,

the head portion at the end toward the tip portion, providing a shoulderoverhanging a shoulderv of the die', for compressing the metal of thetube against the die shoulder.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my 11a/me. v

ALFRED B.- BREEZE.

